Bottle-capping machine



H. K. CURTISAND L. T. HUNTER.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1921.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE K. CURTIS AND LOUIS T. HUNTER, OF CHAYPAQUA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO JOHN I. D. BRISTOL, OF CHAPPAQ'U'A, NEW YORK.

BOTTLE-canine MACHINE.

Application filed Hay 24,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HORACE K. CURTIS and LOUIS T. HUNTER, citizens of the United States, residing at Chappaqua, in the county of W estchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Capping Machines, of

' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for packaging liquids and has particular reference to means for securing sheet metal or crimp caps to bottles for sealing such bottles.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a bottle capping machine of a most simple nature as to construction and operation and one which is easily adjustable or adaptable to various sizes of bottles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the nature set forth that is strong and reliable in practice and one which includes an actuator serving as a power member for effecting both the actuation of the cap follower or crimper and also as a means for effecting the adjustment of the same vertically according to the size of the bottle.

Withthe foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts'hereinafter described and claimed, and while the in vention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or su gested herein, still for the purpose of ilustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference cha'r'actersdesignate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention indicating the relative position of the parts when crimping a cap to a bottle.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail on the line 33 of Fig. 2, but showing'the actuator Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

1921. Serial No. 472,126.

screws or bolts. Thebase is provided with a hub or boss 12 in which is fixed in any a suitable manner an upright or standard 13 made preferably of round bar metal and having its upper end provided with a strong screw thread 13' of any suitable character as to pitch or cross sectional form. Except for the thread cut in the upper end of the standard, the standard is substantially of uniform cross section throughout its length. Obviously the standard may be made of any suitable length and the thread mayextenddownward as close to the boss 12 as may be necessary to accommodate the largest or smallest bottles.

14 indicates a follower comprising a sleeve member 15. of hollow cylindrical form and adapted to slide freely up and' down but with a minimum amount of lost motion upon the standard. The follower includes also a cap engaging and shaping cup 16 having a peep hole 17 in its upper portion, and being rigidly connected. to the sleeve throu h a shank 18. The shank portion of the f0 lower is provided along the opposite sides of its top surface with a pair of parallel rabbets or ledges'19'bounded by shoulders 20. r The follower sleeve rests normally upon a resilient member shown as a coil spring 21 surrounding the standard and having its lower end supported uponan abutment member in the nature of a collar 22 adjustable up and down along the standard and adapted to be fixed in position by means of a thumb screw 23. The position of the abutment above the base will be dependent upon the length of the spring 21 and the height of the bottles being capped.

The power or actuator member is in the nature of a second classlever and isshown as a whole at 24. This actuator comprises a bifurcated head having two hook shaped bearings 25 straddling the standard and having downwardly and forwardly projecting eccentric members or cams 26 cooperating respectively with the ledges 19 and Cooperating with the bearings .25 area pair of laterally extending trunnions 28 carriedby the upper portion of a fulcrum member 29 fitted slidably upon'the standard and having, as does the sleeve 15, a smooth cylindrical inner surface.

The upward movement of the fulcrum member is limited by an adjustment member 30 shown in the form of a nut having a vertically toothed cylindrical exterior surface.

This nut is madewith a thread to cooperate With the thread 13' with a tight frictional fit so that when adjusted along the standard the nut will not be moved or shifted except by the application of an appreciable degree of power. In other words, the relation of the follower, the actuator, and the fulcrum member is such that they all remain ordinarily in direct contact with'one another as illustrated, and these three members are adapted to rotate freely as a unit around the axis of the standard, but with the fulcrum member bearing frictionally against the nut 30 there will be a tendency for the nut to be turned by friction but forthe fact that it is made with a tight thread as described. With suflicient friction, however, between 'thenut and the standard, the frictional contact between the fulcrum member and the nut is not suflicient to turnthe nut. It will benoted, moreover, that the upward swing 1 of the actuator, as a result of the expansion of the spring 21, is limited by contactwith the" nut 30, and so the upward movement of the follower is correspondingly limited while it approaches the fulcrum member relatively due to the decrease'in radius of the cams 26.

With the actuator and follower elevated by the spring as shown in Fig. '3 a bottle with the cap loosely applied thereto may readily be inserted into the cup portionof the follower or placed upon the base directly beneath the follower cup so that when the actuator is depressed the follower will crimp the caprin a well understood manner, the result being observed through the peep hole 17 When'one bottleis capped and the handle 27' released the actuator and. follower will be elevated automatically by the force of the'spring 21-ready to receive another bottle for capping.-

Any suitable means may be provided to actuate the adjustment member or nut 30 by power. To this end the head of the actuator is shown provided witha tooth or extension 7 31 which makes contact with the nut 30 when theractuator is elevated and so comes directly and automatically into a space be tween adjacent teeth formed on the nut thus constituting the. actuator as a wrench or power member for turning the nut either up or down. 'Hence the. actuator 24 is movable around the axisofthe standard 13 as well as being ivoted for movement around the axis of t e trunnions 28 perpendicular to the axis of the standard. Thus the nut may be turned in either direction to any desired extent and so the nut may be delicately adjusted up or down and the actuator and other members associated therewith returned to operatingposition without disturbing the adjustment of the nut, it being of course understood that during such return movement of the actuator the extension 31 will be disengaged from the nut. It will thus be seen that the device is of .a most compact, sturdy, reliable mechanical nature,-one that is practically indestructible and which is easily and delicately adjustable to meet all the different conditions of use.

We claim: 7

1. In a bottle cappingmachine, the combination of a standard, a follower movable therealong parallel to the axis thereof, an actuator for moving the follower and mova ble around the axis of the standard as well as being pivoted for movementaround an axis-perpendicular to said axis of, the standard, a fulcrum member cooperating with the actuator for'applying power t-herethrough, and an adjustment member fitted adj ustably upon the standard and serving as a resistance for the fulcrum member when power is applied to the follower.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the followerand the fulcrum member are fitted slidably upon'the standard.

3. A device as set forth in-claim 1 in which the follower and the fulcrum member are fitted upon the standard for free movement therealong and therearound.-

4. Ardevice as set forth'in claim 1 in which the follower, the actuator, and the fulcrum member are held together for rotation as a unit around thestandard.

-'5.- A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the follower, member is provided with ed member, a follower slidable upon the 7 standard, an actuator movable around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the standard to move the follower, a fulcrum member for the actuator and likewise carried by the standard, the follower, actuator, and fulcrum member being so constructed as to be A interlocked for rotation around the standard asa unit, and anadjustment member threaded upon the standard and serving in parallel peripheral teeth, and the actu- 10 as a resistance member for the fulcrum ator 1s provided with an extension making member. direct engagement automatically with the 8.,A device as set forth in claim 7 in periphery of the nut for the power rotation 5 which the adjustment member is a nut enthereof. 1

gageable automatically by the actuator for In testimony whereof We afiix our sig- 15 the rotation and adjustment thereof. natures.

9. A device as set forth in claim 7 in HORACE K. CURTIS.

which the adjustment member is a nut hav- LOUIS T. HUNTER. 

